When a barium enema is prepared for a patient with Hirschsprung's disease,the barium should be mixed with:

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Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Colon enlargement, such as that which occurs with Hirschsprung's disease, may cause excessive fluid absorption during a barium enema. This can cause a massive change in the fluid concentration in the blood, known as fluid overload or hypervolemia. You can reduce the hazards of excessive water absorption by mixing the barium with normal saline solution instead of tap water. Normal saline has the same osmotic pressure as normal body fluids and thus does not pass into the bloodstream as tap water does.

When a Barium Enema Is Prepared for a Patient with Hirschsprung's